


Dances in Rio

by silverwolf_fox



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brazilian!Luffy, Crossdressing, Dancing, Fluff, German!Law, M/M, Rio Carnival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-19 04:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22105180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverwolf_fox/pseuds/silverwolf_fox
Summary: Luffy dances in the streets during the Rio Carnival and meets a foreigner who doesn't seem to be having much fun.(It's cute, I promise).
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 6
Kudos: 180





	Dances in Rio

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any wrong language translations. I speak neither Brazilian nor German (thankfully there's not a whole lot of either).

It was the third day of the festival. Music and the scent of delicious food soaked the air of Rio de Janeiro, and the celebrations filled the streets with cheers and uproarious laughter. By far one of his favorite times of the year, a young Brazilian boy - though he'd argue nineteen was old enough to be considered a man - grabbed handfuls of his skirt to keep himself from stepping on the hem as he weaved through the crowds. When his big brothers bet he couldn't eat all of the truffles, Luffy hadn't anticipated Ace stealing the last one. Despite complaining that it was cheating, he still had to spend the day wearing a silk wrap around skirt and loose crop top.

But he really didn't mind so much. The heat of the crowd was made more bearable by the short shirt, and Luffy loved the feeling of the skirt fluttering around him when he danced.

Keeping a grip on his signature strawhat, Luffy pushed his way through the people until he reached one of the main squares. He gave a shout when he realized that he'd made it on time. This square was one of his favorite places during the Carnival for the many dance competitions that were held, and Luffy planned to win this year. After signing up at the check-in table, he had to wait around until it would be his turn, and that would be awhile thanks to his late entry.

To keep himself from getting too bored, he people watched, always happy to see everyone having such a great time during the festival. They were all smiling and chatting and dancing, enjoying the music and food, except-

Luffy paused when his eyes fell on a man on the other side of the square. Definitely a foreigner - Luffy loved foreigners, loved hearing about their travels and home countries - but this man stood out amidst the party goers in a bad way for despite all of the excitement around him, he looked utterly and completely bored. As if he'd rather be anywhere else. Luffy frowned, confused. He'd never seen someone so unhappy during the Rio Carnival and couldn't help but stare as if doing so would answer his question. Though he didn't know how long he watched the stranger who was dispassionately observing the dancers, it was long enough that someone had to shake his shoulder to get his attention when his name was called for his turn.

Shyness was not a word anyone could ever connect to Luffy, so he proudly strolled out in front of everyone without even a moment of hesitation. He took to the center street they'd cleared for the competitors to wait for his cue, but before he started, he locked eyes with the foreigner. The dark haired man shifted awkwardly once he felt the sudden attention on him, but then his eyes widened in unsure surprise when Luffy gave him a wide grin and began his routine.

"Routine" was perhaps the wrong word, as it implies planned and practiced choreography, and that simply wasn't the way Luffy danced. Without any formal training but what their elderly neighbor showed him, his samba was far from the most traditional of the competitors, but no one watching could deny the passion and energy in every movement. His skirt twisted and floated around his legs, sweat sliding down his spine, and no matter how he turned, no matter how he spun, his dark gaze always found its way back to the man.

Dancing was synonymous with freedom to Luffy, and he would use it to make his foreigner smile.

The music thrummed through his heart, and Luffy allowed it to guide him, to move his body in ways that might not be proper for samba but felt right for the notes vibrating in his soul. When the time came to hit his final pose, he was already facing the foreigner who was staring back with a fierce focus that made Luffy tremble, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was somehow better than a smile.

Winners were announced, and the moment the judges were finished, Luffy ran. He ran to find those piercing gray eyes before they could disappear. There, only a few meters from where he'd been standing, was the man, his black and white spotted hat easy to notice amidst the colors and feathers that adorned everyone else.

"Espera! Espera!" Luffy yelled over the noise, hoping to stop the man from walking away, before he got close enough to grab his arm.

"Was?" snapped the man turning around angrily, but he froze when he recognized the Brazilian dancer.

"Oi! Meu nome é Luffy!" he said still holding on to the foreigner, but he only received a confused look in return.

"Ich verstehe nicht," the man explained. They stared blankly at each other for a moment, Luffy's smile dropping a few degrees, before the foreigner tried, "Do you speak English?"

Luffy's grin returned full force. "I'm Luffy! Where are you from?"

"Germany. My name is Law."

"Do you want to get food with me?"

"Wha-"

"Let's go!" Without giving him a chance to refuse, Luffy grabbed his new friend by the wrist and pulled him away towards the stalls further up the street. Following his nose never led him astray, and he quickly found a meat stand and puppydog eyed Law into paying for both their orders of barbecued picanha.

They found an empty bench off one of the side streets and sat down to eat, Law still grumbling that he got suckered into paying while Luffy laughed and explained that he's wearing a skirt and can't carry money. The comment sent Law's eyes trailing down before they darted away, and faint color tinged his cheeks.

Unaware of Law's soft gaze on him, Luffy happily devoured his beef and watched the elaborate costumes of the people walking past them.

"Aren't they awesome?" Luffy asked through a mouthful of picanha.

"They're very...colorful." The German's dry response pulled a laugh from the Brazilian. Law huffed a short chuckle and shook his head. "I admit festivals like this are a bit loud for my tastes."

Luffy tilted his head and swallowed the last of his barbecue. "So what made you decide to come?" As much as he loved the Rio Carnival himself, even he could tell that Law didn't seem like he was enjoying it that much, and the older man's resigned sigh only confirmed his thoughts.

"My friends at the hospital I work at," Law began, sounding more than a little accusingly, "think I work too much and somehow thought dragging me out of the country to a festival was the appropriate response."

Humming, Luffy idly tapped his foot. He fell silent for a moment then quietly broached, "Haven't you enjoyed any of it?"

Law shrugged. "I guess. Like I said, it's not really my scene."

"Oh." Luffy twiddled his fingers and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. As if sensing his hesitancy, Law turned to face him and lifted a curious brow but saw a disappointed Brazilian hunching his shoulders.

"Well, I suppose the dancing is pretty nice," he said with a meaningful glance, and he felt relieved when Luffy perked up and started grinning again.

"I know, right? It's my favorite part!"

Law chuckled at his exuberance and lightly teased, "Even though you lost?" It was only after he realized how rude that may have come off, but Luffy just laughed and folded his hands behind his head.

"I'll just win next year," he exclaimed with all the confidence of someone who already had.

"Oh will you?" It was only meant to needle the boy, but Luffy's face appeared right in front of his with a startling intensity.

"I will," Luffy swore, then followed with something that surprised Law even more than the sudden invasion to his personal space. "You'll come see, right?"

"W-was? Du willst dass ich...warum?"

Before he even noticed that he'd fallen back into his native language, Luffy was already skipping past it. "Next year. Come back, and I'll dance and I'll win."

Law pushed Luffy back but left his hand lingering on the slender shoulder. A small smile cracked the German's lips before he could stop it, and he said, "I'll think about it."

They wandered together the rest of the day but eventually had to part ways, Luffy to find his brothers and Law to sadistically cockblock his friends from whatever feathery bikini clad women they found. Unfortunately, they didn't find each other again during the remaining days of the festival and knew they wouldn't see each other again once it ended.

Not until the next year.

When Luffy was dancing in what he'd decided was his lucky skirt and across the square stood Law, watching him with rapt attention and an affectionate smile.

**Author's Note:**

> This was pure self-indulgence to have some Brazilian Luffy dancing in a skirt.


End file.
